Gerrit Hoogenboom

The director of Washington State University’s AgWeatherNet program, Gerrit Hoogenboom, has accepted a position at the University of Florida beginning Jan. 1.

Hoogenboom has directed the AgWeatherNet program, which provides current and historical weather data along with models and decision aids, since 2010.

“I have enjoyed working with the growers and other stakeholders in the Pacific Northwest, providing them with state-of-the-art decision support systems that are based on sound scientific research,” Hoogenboom said in a WSU statement today announcing his new position.

Gary Grove, director of the WSU Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center, will become interim director of AgWeatherNet. He was the network’s director until 2010 and was responsible for migration of the weather monitoring system to off-the-shelf standard sensors and equipment.

Melba Salazar will become interim leader of the AgWeatherNet research program. WSU will begin the process to refill the director position in 2016.

At the University of Florida, Hoogenboom will help develop transdisciplinary models for better understanding food systems and better informing legislators and community leaders.